Forest dept fears the Western Ghats Ecology Authority infringes on its powers

The recommendation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) for setting up the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) has not gone down well with the State Forest department.

Dandeli, Mookambika, Cauvery, Someshwara, BBP to be merged with forests
The State government has extended the boundaries of a national park and four wildlife sanctuaries.

The government on December 27, 2011, notified around 1,255.64 sq km of reserve forest land as national park and wildlife sanctuaries. As per the notification, the areas of four wildlife sanctuaries – Dandeli, Mookambika, Cauvery and Someshwara, and one national park – Bannerghatta, have been extended by amalgamating them with reserve forests, thereby bringing a larger area under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Says Union Forest Ministry can’t impose heritage tag on Western Ghats against govt’s wish

With barely 20 days left for India to resubmit its dossier to Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) for the serial nomination of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, as in the previous year, isn’t making the task any easier for the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Implementation of the hydro-electric project will help ease power situation in Karnataka

The time has come for power-starved Karnataka to make a tough call on implementing the long-pending 200-MW Gundia Hydro-Electric Project (GHEP) in Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts.

Affected by the continued conflict with elephants, as many as 416 farmers in the cardamom growing region of Sakleshpur in Hassan district came forward to pledge 2,361 acres of farm lands to recreat

16 firms/institutions have been allowed to conduct experiments by panel

The State Forest department has begun to act on the recommendations of the final report by Lokayukta on illegal mining.

The department had suspended 29 officials who reportedly had direct nexus with incarcerated former minister Janardhana Reddy, and his brothers, and issued showcause notices to 69 others indicted in the report.

The government has zeroed in on an island in the Hebbal lake - which is already mired in controversies - for installing the Bhuvaneshwari statue at a cost of Rs 25 crore.
The statue, a brainchild of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, was initially proposed to be erected on the monolith in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. Public outcry against the proposal had the government spiking the location, putting the project in the cold storage for some time.

Dust levels have gone up in mixed urban pockets
Bangalore: Residential and commercial areas are more polluted than industrial areas in the City, which has the highest levels of both air and noise pollution.

According to a study by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), dust levels with chemical and toxic emissions have gone up in mixed urban areas (which have both commercial and